Winter's Warmth
by Karakuri Pierrot
Summary: All of us know that the past is past, but everyone also knows that the past has a way to slap right in your face. What if the most horrible part of your past comes back to haunt you? Even if it's just in your thoughts and dreams, what will you do?


Disclaimer: I seriously don't own Prince of Tennis nor the quotes that come from xxxHolic. I do own the poem though.

Warning: Languange, OOCness and Topics that relate to xxxHolic.

A/N: I wrote this since I was lonely. It may seem to have topics that relate to xxxHolic but that's because my addiction to xxxHolic, which was less than my addiction to PoT, has blended into my plot. Well, I guess that's it.

I would also like to thank **Whirlinee** for telling me about that since I forgot to place the disclaimer for those quotes last time! Thank you again even though I have already told you that many times!

"May your wishes be granted in time." ~ Emiko

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_**For winter's snow may be beautiful, it was never warm.**_

_**The warmth we often seek is often in our homes.**_

_**If the only place that we always called home have gone,**_

_**Where shall we seek for our mostly needed warmth?**_

It was a dark and grave night. People were safely in their warm homes, except for a young man. He had midnight black hair and dark green eyes. The young man was walking on that cold, winter night.

Just then, a black convertible stopped right next to him. The car's window was brought down and showed two more men, around a year older than him. The first one had blue hair and eyes while the other was hidden on the shadows caused by the street light.

"What are you doing here, walking on this cold weather during this time? You should be at home." The blue-haired one inquired.

"I was on my way home, sempai. I just lost track of time." The young man answered.

"Isn't the way to your house there?" His sempai asked, pointing to the opposite direction he was going to.

"We moved a few years ago, just after middle school." He informed his sempai with a nervous chuckle.

"Oh. How about we give you a ride home?" His sempai asked.

_What do you mean by home? It's a house, just a house where I live for the time being._

"Sure sempai. Thank you." The young man said after that fleeting thought.

The young man entered the car then took the seat at the back behind his sempai. The ride to his house was comfortably yet awkwardly silent. Once they reached his house, the young man's phone began to ring. He took out a midnight blue phone and flipped it open.

"Hello. Who are you and why are you calling?" He asked.

"Hey, it's me. It's about our cousin."

"What about him?" He asked in a nearly panicked tone.

"He's starting to show movement. The doctor said he may finally wake up."

_That brat... He's finally going to wake up?_

"I'll go there as soon as I can." He said then hung up.

"Is there a problem?" His blue-haired sempai asked.

"I need to go to this hospital. It's not that far. Can you please take me there?" He asked as he gave a card containing the hospital's name and its whereabouts.

The blue-haired man read the card then nodded. He gave the card to his friend, which were the driver and also the sempai of the young man. A few minutes later, they were at the hospital.

"Thank you 'Mura-sempai." The young man said gratefully then stepped out the car.

He entered the hospital then headed straight to room 392 which was on the second floor. Once he got there, he saw his sister waiting outside the room.

"Is he awake?" The young man asked.

"We still don't know. Why don't you check?" His sister asked.

He only nodded then entered the room only to be greeted by the familiar sight of his currently comatose cousin, or so he thought. He noticed a small movement from his cousin's hand then he stood right next to him.

_Calm yourself down. You shouldn't be acting like this. You shouldn't be acting as if the world will end if he doesn't wake up!_

Luckily, that helped him calm down, even if it was just by a tiny bit. Sadly, he was too immersed in his thoughts to notice his cousin gaining consciousness.

"Nii-san?"

That soft, nearly inaudible whisper had stopped what he was thinking about and slowly turned his head to look at his cousin.

"Ryo?" He asked as if he was thinking all of this was a dream.

"Yes nii-san. It is me." The younger male said in a slightly happy tone.

"Ryo… You're awake. I can't believe it." He mumbled then gently hugged his baby cousin after all of these years.

They have already been separated since their younger years, meeting for the first time on the courts then seeing each other again at the place they least expected to see each other, in a family reunion in the same year. Then they were separated once more after a year of being together.

"Nii-san, can you stop crying like a baby?" His cousin, Ryo, asked arrogantly.

That's when he noticed that tears were going down his cheeks.

"I'm not crying like a baby you brat." He said with a similar arrogance as he rubbed his eyes.

"That's what you say. Who is with you?" Ryo asked.

"Onee-san came here for her usual visit when she and the doctors noticed some movement then she called me to come. We've really missed you." The older male said.

They chatted a little more with the older of the two doing most of the talking like years ago. The older male left when Ryo went to sleep. He was allowed to leave a few days after a few tests to check if he is really okay. The older male often visited him.

"Hey brat. I came to take you home." He said as he entered the room.

"Okay. Sure." Ryo said then got one of his bags.

The older one took his other bag then they left the hospital.

_**It would be where our loved ones are, most likely.**_

_**For others say that it is home where the heart is.**_

_**And that out heart is with our loved ones.**_

_**As long as we are with them, we are at home.**_

"Ryo, this will be our home, for now." He said as he left the cab.

"Yeah, it is our home for now." Ryo mumbled under his breath.

They entered the house. Their current cage yet they'll call it home, for now. Since they have each other, they might make it for now.

"Akaya-nii-san, no one knows we are here, right?" Ryo asked, loosing his arrogant façade.

"Yes Ryoma. I don't think they even think we lived after that incident a few years ago." Akaya said then ruffled his baby cousin's hair.

"Yeah." Ryoma mumbled.

Akaya and Ryoma had changed over the years. They weren't the same bratty people they were before _that_ happened.

"You can't hide from the past forever, right? We'll have to face them someday if not soon. The past always has a way in smacking itself on your face." Ryoma continued.

"Yeah. That's how much a hell this is." Akaya said.

"You can say that again, a million times more even." Ryoma mumbled.

They unpacked Ryoma's stuff in his room then made some dinner. They had some sushi then later went to sleep. In the middle of the night, Ryoma woke up with shallow breaths.

_Not that dream again._

Ryoma eased himself then lied down, staring at the ceiling. There were paper cranes there, 649 cranes to be exact. He had folded each and every crane there before he was hospitalized years ago.

_I better start folding more tomorrow._

Ryoma reminded himself then slowly went to sleep. Akaya smiled a little when he saw his cousin go back to sleep. He went back to his room next door then lied down on his bed, just like Ryoma did awhile ago.

There, on his ceiling, were 645 paper cranes and 4 more cranes were still on his desk, waiting to be hung up on the ceiling. He started folding paper cranes when Ryoma had already made 350 cranes.

They made paper cranes together, mostly in their spare time but Ryoma's pile was always 350 pieces more than his. He made the 350 when Ryoma got hospitalized. Now, they have the same number and if things go well, both of them will have their wishes be granted.

_**For home is not the place you live.**_

_**It is the place where you are with your loved ones.**_

_**Home is where you can feel the warmth and love from them.**_

_**That's what you usually get in winter.**_

"You know Akaya-nii, wishes can only be granted with a price. Everything has a price, even from the smallest of things in the world." Ryoma said while they were staring at the starry sky one winter night from Ryoma's room.

"Really? I never thought of it that way." Akaya said as he folded a crane.

"If you wish something everyday, it will come true. But, if you wish for revenge or unhappiness, the same amount will come upon you too." Ryoma stated as he did the same.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I wish that one day, we can find a place we can call home and live happily, even if it is just the two of us." Akaya said as they both finished a crane.

"It's the same for me. We've been through so much and we deserve even just a small break." Ryoma mumbled as he leaned his head on Akaya's shoulder since Akaya was just behind him.

They watched the snow fall in silence for a few minutes before Ryoma spoke up again as they started to fold another crane.

"Hey Akaya…" Ryoma called out.

"Yeah?" Akaya asked.

"Do you believe there are things such as coincidences in life?" Ryoma asked as they finished.

"Of course, I don't. Why did you ask?" Akaya asked, giving Ryoma a curious look then started to fold another with him.

"There are no coincidences in life. There is only inevitability." Ryoma said.

"You always say that Ryoma." Akaya said with a genuine smile.

"It's not like you don't agree with me." Ryoma retorted back as they finished.

"Yeah. Hitsuzen is one thing we really learned from life other than those, right?" Akaya asked.

"Yeah. If there is such as a thing as hitsuzen, there is a meaning to all of our hardships." Ryoma said.

"Since we do have these hardships, we'll know true happiness if it comes to us." Akaya inquired.

"You're right. Hitsuzen is something that we must not underestimate, right?" Ryoma asked as they started folding again.

"Un. Even if we don't finish those cranes, at least we have made something others will remember us by." Akaya said.

"Un. I wish, even if it isn't peace, we may live long enough to finish this winter." Ryoma wished.

Akaya gave Ryoma a disbelieving look. Ryoma caught the look as they finished.

"I'm not giving up. I just want to live, even just through this winter. I'm happy now and would fight to live even if the odds are against me." Ryoma said.

"I would do the same. Life is just something you can't give up. It's just too precious to let go." Akaya said as they started folding again.

They stayed in silence. They finished folding then waited until dawn. They weren't sleepy, mostly after that talk. They talk about that every year, on December 25th. It may be Christmas but it's also their anniversary. Ryoma stayed where he was, in Akaya's comfortable arms.

"You know Akaya, this may sound weird coming from me but, I'm mostly at home when I'm with you." Ryoma said as he tightened his hold on Akaya.

"I feel the same way, Ryoma. I feel at home with you too." Akaya said as he did the same.

_It really doesn't matter where we live. Be it on the streets or in a house. As long as I'm with you, I'll call it home because with you, I can really feel winter's warmth._

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"Winter's Warmth"

Ryoma Echizen and Akaya Kirihara One-Shot

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I'm so sorry!

I'm so sorry if it seemed incestuous! I didn't mean too. I promise! It just ended up that way!

Well, that's all.

Hope you all liked it! Please comment or review!


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